In Her Eyes
by Neona Nyx
Summary: You know she was lucky, compared to some of those around her she really didn't have a lot of trauma- well the trauma from your own actions. Doing things against your will and knowing the consequences. Unable to do anything… a mindless puppet. Like some of the others, she knows. Tifa no longer had control over herself, and when she attacked, she felt her heart and soul slowly break


You know she was lucky, compared to some of those around her she really didn't have a lot of trauma- well the trauma from your own actions. Doing things against your will and knowing the consequences. Unable to do anything… a mindless puppet. Like some of the others, she knows.

Tifa no longer had control over herself, and when she attacked, she felt her heart and soul slowly break.

…

_Tifa didn't think when she charged in to save Terra from the darkness that slowly surrounded her. Not wanting to watch the girl turn into a puppet that begged for Death Tifa just charged in._

_She didn't know why… especially since she made Terra run away with her anger and jealousy. And Tifa hated those feelings, but when she saw how Cloud treated Terra, Tifa just… she just got mad. Wondering why after rejecting Tifa again and again that he was treating a strange Esper girl- someone not from their world- with love while he only saw Tifa as a friend. _

_But then Tifa could see why Cloud looked at Terra the way he did, how he treated her with gentle kindness. Terra reminded Cloud of Aerith, and he had allowed himself to fall in love all over again. This time with Terra._

_But she couldn't hate the girl._

_Tifa had to save her. Terra was still her friend and ally._

_But as she pushed Terra away from the darkness, Tifa had lost herself._

…

She was crying as her first beat against the people who were once her allies, most only tried to beat her back, so they don't hurt her.

_Help me! _She screamed in her mind as she knocked Bartz into a wall, not giving Yuna a chance to protect him with her magic to help protect him. Tidus tried his best to push her back, trying not to cut her with his blue sword.

"Please, Tifa, stop this!" Yuna called out, "you must break free from their control."

_How! Tell me how! _Tifa thought as she used Dolphin Blow on the summoner. _Please Douge! Valefor, summon Valefor to protect yourself!_

But she didn't, and Tifa heard her scream out in pain; why couldn't she stop herself from hurting them!

…

_He wasn't sorry about falling in love again, he's told Tifa many times that he couldn't be with her- that he didn't love her in a romantic way and that he could not see a future with them together. That the childhood crush he had died a long time ago. Tifa should have accepted that, but she couldn't let go of the past._

_And yet she told him too, Cloud finally took her words to heart. But it wasn't because he suddenly fell in love with her, but because of the love and understanding Terra had given Cloud._

_Maybe it was justice, that her own jealousy and hypocritical comments pushed him away. That trying to force him to love her, pushed him into another's arms. _

_Cloud may have lost Aerith, but he eventually gained Terra. _

"_Don't let your anger and jealousy take over, "She remembered someone telling her that, "Don't destroy another's happiness because you decided that they're forever yours. That pain is a lot harder to deal with than a broken heart. The guilt will try to destroy you."_

_The man who told her that had a point, and she should have listened. Why didn't she listen to Kain! _

_Though it wouldn't have done much, Tifa still would have protected Terra and lose herself in the darkness of her own mind. Unable to control herself._

_But she had a lot to think about, for now, she still had power over her own mind, like her choices. Her actions. And finally, she looked deep into her heart and realized something. She didn't really love Cloud- Tifa thought she did because she saw him as someone he wasn't, the only link to a past she that Tifa needed to move on from. She only thought she did, or she was in love with the man she thought he was going to be. But he wasn't that man._

_He was her friend. _

_He wasn't the one who made her heart skipped a beat… no, strangely enough, it was another. A man she shouldn't have met._

_..._

Tifa needed someone to put her out of her misery, and yet none of her allies could bring themselves to do it. Even if it would help her.

…

Tifa's latest opponent was unfamiliar, and yet she felt like she knew him. Even though she never saw his wheat-colored hair or indigo eyes before. Yet the way he fought was familiar.

The man wasn't trying to hurt her, showing that like her, he was a warrior of Materia. That he didn't want to hurt her, he wanted to save her. Just like everyone else...

Sweet on his part, but everyone's tried, especially Terra, who felt responsible- that if she was paying attention, Kefka wouldn't have snuck up on her and that Tifa wouldn't have jumped in and saved her. Tifa didn't regret that she would do it again. Especially since that girl reminded her and Cloud of Aerith, and with that came there urge to protect Terra no matter what.

Tifa didn't want to see another friend get hurt, but thanks to the spell she was under, she had no choice but to fight her allies.

Tifa wanted to do nothing but to curl up into a ball and die. But she couldn't… all she could do was fight. And each time she fought a friend, she lost more and more of herself. At this rate, she was going to be nothing more than a hallow puppet. That her masters will have full control over more than just her body.

She wanted, no, needed someone who was not afraid to put an end to all the pain and suffering she was enduring. To end the pain, she was causing others. She wanted all this to end before she was lost forever.

She was about the kick the man when she felt something wrap around her body, immobilizing her. A Black Dragon, that looked like it belonged to one of Spiritius's warriors- Golbez. But Tifa didn't see the large armor man around just the blonde she was fighting and the two silver-haired men- one being Cecil and the other was someone she didn't recognize. Another ally Materia summoned?

She watched as Cecil threw something to the blonde-haired man while he told the man to get Tifa to drink it. When she heard those words and saw that the man took the cap off the bottle that contained this gray liquid, her mouth automatically clenched. Her body fighting to get loose as the man drew closer.

The spell was going to let her go...Tifa knew that once the bottle hit her lips, her body would find some way to destroy it- make the man drop it.

The man's indigo eyes narrowed, and then he sighed, "Sorry about this…"

_Wait! That voice!_

The man titled his head back, allowing the liquid to fall into his mouth. And then he…

Tifa's eyes widened as she felt something go down her throat, the liquid and with each gulp, the dragon around her loosed before it was gone. Flying back to his master, no doubt.

Then there was the matter of the man who's lips were drawing away from hers.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Kain?" She replied before she recalled what he just did, which caused her face to turn bright red and her heart to skip a beat, "why did you… what was that potion you gave me."

And when did you get that armor, the white and blue armor looked good on him. Then again, without the helm covering the top part of his face, Tifa noted how good looking he was. Then again, she had to admit that she found attractive long before, even with his face hidden from the world.

"It was a counteractive spell," the unknown man said, Golbez's dragon floating around his bare shoulders, "you're lucky that there are some of us who hate Kefka enough to help you."

"You have my brother here, Kuja, Y'shtola, and especially Terra for telling us what happened," Cecil said, glaring at the man he called brother before his attention turned back to Kain and Tifa, "We should head back. But if you two wanted a few moments-"

"Cecil!" Kain groaned.

"What?"

"Come!" Cecil's brother, who was most likely Golbez since most of them already knew that he was Cecil's older brother, "let's leave them alone."

With that, the man turned to leave. Kain turned away too and was going to start walking away too, but Tifa's voice stopped him.

"Kain?" Tifa reached out to touch him arm too, tears starting to form in her rust-colored eyes, "I'm sorry!"

...

"For what?" Kain asked, turning towards her, wondering why the dark-haired woman before him was not only crying but apologizing to him. He should be the one to apologize to her, he kissed her, granted it was to get her to drink that potion. He didn't regret kissing this maiden, though he wished it was under different circumstances… he wanted to do it again, but not right now when she was like this.

Without thinking, he drew the girl into his arms, while she did tense up Tifa didn't fight him. After a few moments of crying into his shoulder, she relaxed.

"Tifa? What's wrong?" Kain asked.

"I...I…" she sniffed, "I was jealous, and it was used against me, I attacked everyone. Do you think they can forgive me?"

She looked up at Kain with water eyes, just in time to see him laugh a little, but before she could yell at him, he said, "how can they forgive you when there's nothing to forgive. You weren't yourself. Trust me, I've done worse things in my life, what you were forced to do was not bad. Everyone was worried and tried their best to help you."

"And in the end it was you… did you have to kiss me?"

Kain looked away, not knowing how to answer, well other than muttering sorry under his breath.

Since he did not let go of the woman in his arms, she, of course, heard everything.

"Did you want to kiss me? Especially if the circumstances were different?"

_Does she sound hopeful? _

"Would it be wrong to say that it may have crossed my mind a few times," Kain answered, his gaze going to her parted lips, "But I wasn't sure how you would react. I don't want to… I'm just tired of being rejected."

With that, he let her go, "come, we should head back to the others."

"Kain! Hold on a second!" she called, he knew he should just keep walking, but his heart didn't listen.

He was about to say something when Tifa tackled him. Not on purpose, well maybe a little bit, since she did run at him. Laughing nervously as they both fell to the ground.

"What was that…" he started to ask, but she cut him off. Her lips touching his for a few moments.

When she broke away, she said, "payback from before."

The look of shock on his face made her laugh. Then shocked turned into a girn, as he asked, "May I kiss you again, my lady?"

Tifa smiled down at him, "Yes!"

…

Little did the two know that they had an audience, that they're allies just saw what happened between the pair. What was currently happening between Kain and Tifa?

"I'm so proud of him!" Cecil said.

"Well, she found someone to be her knight in shining armor… literary," Cloud replied, a slight smile graced his cheeks. He didn't know if he was happy that Tifa found someone else or the fact that she finally realized that she was not in love with him. It will be good for them to move on with their lives.

"They look good together," Terra said to Cloud, her arms wrapping around one of his, her head following close behind to rest on the upper part of her shoulder.

"Yeah, they do," Cloud replied, as he kissed the top of Terra's blonde hair, "We should give them some privacy.

"And yes, that includes you!" Terra said to Cecil, "they're going to get mad when they realize that we were to hear the entire time."

With that, she started to pull at Cloud getting him to move, and in turn, he grabbed Cecil to drag him away.

…

Tifa smiled at Cloud as he held a sleeping Terra in his arms, not feeling a shred of jealousy.

This world is a strange place, but it was trying. It's best to become home for everyone. Every day it expanded, and each new area came more life. Old friends and family came back to this world. Everyone they left behind when they came here, the very lives they fought to save.

Though she never knew why the Gods refused to mention that they worlds faded and that it took so much energy to save everyone. Bringing the strongest warriors to help them gain energy so the world could shape itself and that everyone will have a new life.

Then again, it didn't help that both Choas and Shinnryu tried to prevent this. But they all made it through, that they are gaining more every day.

"What are you thinking about?" Kain asked as he put his arms around her.

"I'm thinking about home, and how I finally found it," Tifa answered, "thank you for that."

Kain smiled as he felt her lips against his cheek, "You're welcome. However, you helped me find a home too."

Tifa smiled at that cuddling deeper into the dragoon's arms, feeling content and happy.


End file.
